Short birdwatching visit · Cornwall Wildlife Trust and Cornwall Birds
Maer Lake
- Tier
- Good stop nearby
- Best season
- October–February
- Headline birds
- Black-tailed Godwit · Golden Plover · Wigeon
- Parking
- Use the pay-and-display car park at Crooklets, as directed by Cornwall Birds.
- Hides
- Not stated by the operator
- Step-free
- Roadside viewing requires care around passing vehicles; no step-free viewing facility is promised.
Maer Lane, Bude
Maer Lake is a wet-meadow and open-water reserve on the northern edge of Bude, jointly owned by Cornwall Wildlife Trust and Cornwall Birds. The bird club lists winter Wigeon, Teal and Black-tailed Godwit, making this a useful complement to a canal or coastal visit. Plan to watch from Maer Lane rather than enter the reserve: the Trust's current instructions specify roadside viewing only. The club recommends parking at Crooklets and walking to the lake. A telescope is useful for distant birds, but the roadside has no footway and passing traffic needs care.
Birds and seasons
- Black-tailed Godwit · Headline bird — Winter Source for Black-tailed Godwit
- Golden Plover · Headline bird — Winter Source for Golden Plover
- Wigeon · Headline bird — Winter Source for Wigeon
- Teal — Winter Source for Teal
Plan your visit
- Hides and viewpoints
- Not stated by the operator – check before travelling
- Paths
- The bird club describes a five-minute level walk from Crooklets; the viewing roadside has no footway.
- Toilets
- Not stated by the operator – check before travelling
- Parking
- Use the pay-and-display car park at Crooklets, as directed by Cornwall Birds.
- Dogs
- No dogs permitted on the reserve.
- Access notes
- Roadside viewing requires care around passing vehicles; no step-free viewing facility is promised.
- Step-free access
- Roadside viewing requires care around passing vehicles; no step-free viewing facility is promised.
Getting there: Walk from Crooklets car park to the Maer Lane viewing area using the operator map. The bird club confirms access by foot, bicycle and public transport. Follow the Trust roadside-only instruction and do not enter the wet meadow.
Sources
Social preview: original typographic artwork by Does Your Duck Quack.
Nearby special trips
- Isley Marsh · 23.3 straight-line miles
- Helman Tor · 29.9 straight-line miles
- Labrador Bay · 50.4 straight-line miles
Continue birding nearby
Nearest full guide: Lundy, 23.1 miles away in a straight line.
- Bude Canal and Marshes · 1.0 miles in a straight line
- Greena Moor · 7.1 miles in a straight line
- Isley Marsh · 23.3 miles in a straight line